The Secretary of Energy, Larry Terrian, said Thursday evening that the Zamastanian government gave preliminary approval for at least four new nuclear power plants to be constructed by the end of 2019 in the country, along with as many as three more nuclear units at existing nuclear power plants at Jade River Plant - 2A and Temelin Pass Plant - 4C.
Secretary Terrian made the announcement in a resolution published Thursday. The Congressional Hall first discussed building additional units when the country’s cabinet approved a new state energy policy in 2015, at which time it recommended that the Department of Energy, which owns and operates the nuclear plants at Jade River and Temelin, should create a subsidiary division to research building and finance new reactors.
The Congressional Hall in its resolution published Thursday said it would provide the utility with loan guarantees to help secure financing for any new reactors.
Construction Still Months Away
Reports said construction of any new units is months away, though equipment and technology suppliers could be chosen within the next five weeks. Expectations are that at least one 1,200-MW reactor would be built at Jade River by 2020 to replace four existing units that are scheduled to be shut down between 2021 and 2022. New capacity at Temelin would be built at a later date.
The state will also guarantee the stability of the legislative and regulatory environments and possible compensation for change. The document also said new nuclear units are needed to help Zamastan meet emissions reduction targets and goals for energy security. “Congressmen and Senators perceive the construction of new nuclear sources as a precondition for ensuring secure supplies of electricity and energy self-sufficiency in the Imperial Republic,” the paper notes. “Construction is an integral part of the basic security interests of states, where nuclear power plants are among the critical infrastructures in accordance with current legislation. As part of the preparation and implementation of the project for new nuclear sources, the selected investor model will provide for the basic security interests of the state.”
The resolution also said: “It is of course environmentally friendly [policy], because new nuclear power plants will be a low-emission, stable source of electricity and heat. The construction contributes to the fulfillment of the State Energy Policy, which envisages increasing the share of nuclear energy in electricity production from the current 30% to 46% and then to 58%. There will be a gradual reduction in coal combustion, with regard to ecological protection and the depletion of mineral resources.”
‘Steps to Prepare for New Capacity’
Secretary Terrian, speaking at a press conference in Tofino after a cabinet meeting, said, “[the government is] moving from the stage of talking about constructing new nuclear capacity to taking specific steps to prepare for new capacity.” Terrian said the government would look for the utility to assume the business risks of the new reactors.